The CW Pulls ‘Cult’ From Schedule; Remaining Episodes Could End Up Online

The CW already unofficially cancelled low-rated Cult when it sent the mystery drama from Tuesdays to Fridays after its first two episodes drew a miniscule 0.3 rating in 18-49. Today the network made it official by yanking Cult from its schedule, marking the end of the short-lived midseason series. Sources tell me that while the show will definitely not be back, there is discussion at the network if the remaining six episodes will end up being shown online. In Cult’s place, the CW will air repeats of The Carrie Diaries starting this Friday, and an encore of the reality series Oh Sit! will air in the slot April 19. While the CW did not officially say the struggling freshman thriller series was done, its creator basically did. “#Cult Sadly true. CW Execs once called the last 5 episodes “outstanding”. I guess too outstanding. You are great, SMART fans. Thx to u all!” Cult creator Rockne O’Bannon posted on Twitter today.

54 Comments

Really? The CW is gonna cancel stuff just because it’s lame and nobody watches it? Kinda runs counter to the mission statment….

CynicalCritic • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

I saw this coming, but it was just getting good.

Yes, the show was silly, but it was campy fun with Rob Knepper.

Dwigt • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

Sorry for the cast and the crew, but I must say I was watching this to analyze how not to write for TV.

Cult had its main mystery getting more uninteresting with every episode, without any feeling of progress, thus no satisfaction for the viewers. It was only last week that we got relevant exposition for the backstory, and we got then almost too much of it in one dosage. The show was introducing more and more various factions and never suggested how they could connect. The two lead characters were dull and bland, without any defining personality or a motivation that could include the audience (they looked for their missing relatives, and were two attractive persons who were slowly falling in love). There wasn’t any real villain or defined antagonist apart from the detective, and I was convinced that in a final twist, she would have been revealed as a “good” person, trying to punish the real life cult leader who had tarnished her youth and who had become a reclusive Hollywood bigwig.

It started with a quite zany concept but it stuck to it with an unimaginative and quite linear execution. There was no real incentive to keep on watching it after the mystery would have been mostly cleared.

The letter S • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

Based on what Nellie had mentioned before-it was known Cult wasn’t coming back,but,I did think they at least would have aired the remaining episodes for fans of this program. It’s funny (in a sad way) how they will replace it next week with Carrie Diaries episodes-another show which most likely won’t be returning either. The way things have been progressing (or not) at the Cw,why only cancel Cult? At this point,they’d be better off scrapping this entire network( I use the term network extremely loosely) and just start over from scratch. Hopefully,fans of Cult will have the remaining episodes made available online.

MaryAnn • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

I love this show! I will be very very disappointed if they don’t make the remaining episodes available online. They let it stay on just long enough for its fans to actually believe it would get to run all of its initial order, and get invested in it! I just hope that CW will not join the other networks in making viewers afraid to invest in a new show for fear it will be yanked.

Suzi • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

I agree! At least finish the episodes of CULT…don’t leave us that loved the show hanging…The problem is, it aired same time as TOUCH and Grimm…which every week I had to iny meany miny moe to see which I get to watch that week..I usually rotated…I’m sure others did the same..doesn’t mean bad show just bad time slots for all 3 !
At least show or make remaining episodes available to the Cult fans!

Jed • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

This show was doomed from the first time it premiered and hasn’t recovered since and when you’re scoring a half-rating point in the critical demographics and you have ION and Univision defeating you in those departments, then it’s time for not just a CXLing of this show, but time to refocus on what needs to be done to save this network from possible extinction. At this rate, I still cannot see how this network can continue onwards past another year or two.

nicholas • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

ugh! the pilot script was such genius…but the show was such junk. here’s a class to teach in how brilliant inspiration can become utterly predictable failure.

bill • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

Here we go again. Does anyone know why the CW exists? Anyone?

poo poo podiatrist • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

12 year old boys. 8 year old girls.

Phoebe • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

To air one of the greatest shows ever.

The Vampire Diaries.

Cali • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

Hopefully Matt Davis will return to Vampire Diaries in some capacity.

jt • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

Matt Davis deserves much better than the ” Cult ‘ . Davis has talent to burn.

Daniella Steinmetz • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

I don’t know why they ever pulled him from VD! He needs to return…maybe that will fix the main character in the show too lol =)

I have little doubt that the five unaired episodes ARE outstanding. This was not a poorly-produced show. Unfortunately, it never caught the fancy of viewers…and I’m beginning to wonder if the midseason launches have a lot to do with that.

Carrie Diaries, despite the hype, did not premiere well at midseason; and in prior years, neither did Life Unexpected. I’m thinking that viewers establish their habits in the fall, and few disrupt them when hit with a barrage of midseason launches. That’s something for TV execs to seriously consider.

chuck • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

I agree this show was doomed from the beginning. I watched the first episodes and it was like reading bad novel. This show had weak writing but the concept was far fetched. But the plot was so weak.

Lynn • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

I get tired of networks pulling shows like this mid-season with no ending for the viewers that did watch. It’s a growing trend at all the networks. It’s frustrating that there are 6 episodes out there that they “might” put on the internet. Why not just put them on your website so fans of the show can watch them. Makes me not want to start watching any new series until they are established.

sheila • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

geez, couldnt they just finish it up out of respect for schmucks like me who invested time in watching the show. no respect for the viewers that invest their time in watching these fa cockta shows that get cancelled 10 minutes after they air. i loved fringe & @ least they brought closure to the show when they announced its cancellation. tv executives have no respect for their audiences unless its dancing w/the stars; the voice & all these other reality shows that are cheap to make & apparently millions of viewers watch them. scripted shows are a crap shoot anymore because they are too expensive to make because you would actually have to hire people that have some talent. welcome to tv viewing 21st century.

sheila • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

actually, it shouldnt surprise me, because rumour has it that the good wife might be cancelled, one of the most intelligent shows on tv, while shows like the bachelor, bachlorette, duck dynasty, intervention, etc stay on for years & years. cult had potential & unfortunately tv executives never give it enough time to reach its potential.

Jessica • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

I agree with the comments about reality tv shows. It just goes to show you how stupid America has become. Apparently, we’d rather watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians which is about shallow, vapid, and unintelligent people than watch something with a plot. It’s disgusting really. Besides… that cliff hanger at the end of the first season is something that I’m bummed about not being able to find out about. 666 Park Avenue is another good show that got the boot. Yay America!

Owen • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

Well yeah… since hardly anyone is watching it, that is a pretty good reason to cancel.

TV Fan • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

Well this is a bit disappointing. I can understand the CW not renewing the show for low numbers but I was at least expecting to see the rest of the episodes aired on tv. If they’re already filmed why not show them instead of just abruptly moving it to another night and then not even showing the full season and instead showing reruns of another show. This is really unfair to those of us who were watching to just suddenly stop the episodes. Ah well. I love Matt Davis and was watching for him.

Lauri Munro • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

I agree that the show wasted time in revealing and it was slow. I was watching it to support Matt Davis and hey, I am into the crazy…what the heck is going on kind of genre. Now I will never know. No way will I watch the Carrie Diaries…in place of it.

Hannah • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

I know it was a kind of campy show but I loved it!!! I rushed home just now so I could watch it and its nowhere to be found! I can’t believe people would rather watch Carrie Diaries or Oh Sit instead of a show that is actually interesting! I really hope they put the rest of the episodes online.

CJ Barry • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

The problem is the mass public wants instant gratification in a show and doesn’t want to have to use their brain to think about subtext or plot, or wait for the story to develop over time. Therefor, if the network doesn’t see people like a show in one or two episodes, they yank it. Do they care about the loyal viewers? NO. As for all of you commenting on the network being useless altogether, it does offer Supernatural and the new series Arrow, both interesting and fun to watch. However, I am very disappointed in the cancellation of Cult, it’s a show that may have started slow but was getting better with each episode and would have grown into a Supernatural fan base situation for the network.

Deanka • on Apr 10, 2013 3:38 pm

The CW exists for 2 reasons: Supernatural and Nikita. For me anyway. :)